Mind, Will and Choice

Much of what we recognize as political is a function of choice. Political phenomena such as elections, wars, legislation, and protests occur because people choose to take particular actions at particular times. For scholars, the concept of choice is important because it primes us to consider not just the existence of an action, but also the volition that produced it. Such priming of volition is why news of important, unusual, or controversial political phenomena is often followed by the question, " Why? " Scholars answer this question in many ways. Some emphasize attributes of those who make the choices. Others focus on the context in which the choices are made. Individual-centered and context-based explanations are sometimes posed in opposition to one another – as if the validation of one approach necessarily undermines the other. In this essay, we argue for the benefits of integrating the two approaches. While